Wanda Maximoff
by alwayslucky13
Summary: Wanda Maximoff was deemed a danger by the US government when thrown into the raft after the airfield battle (post-civil war) against the other half of the avengers, and prison was not kind to her. Although having been broken out by Captain America himself, how will she deal with the aftermath of the neglect and abuse? Based on a post by tumblr user puzzle-dragon.


Wanda Maximoff, for the first time in many years, wanted to die. After the show down at the airport against the people she once knew as friends, against people she still cared about, Wanda was thrown into a cell in Raft Prison.

Prison cells were not foreign places for the young girl, she had spent a long time in one when she was with HYDRA. But this… this was more like hell for her. HYDRA was an evil corporation that committed mass murder, but when with them she could move in her cell, she could practise her powers and she could talk to her brother. While here, she wasn't even treated as human.

Wanda could never have guessed that HYDRA would treat her better than the American government, but she was proved wrong. These people don't understand her powers. They were disgusting and violent to them and beyond every official who guessed how they work and what extent they can do. So to keep themselves 'safe', they tried to install fear.

Her cell was a little different to the others'. The glass was soundproofed to stop her from talking, planning, plotting, with her teammates. It was tinted so none of them could see her either. Communication with the others had been cut off so nothing could be 'arranged', after all, Scarlet Witch was a powerful and dangerous person. They put her in a strait jacket so her hands and arms were immobilised, she was pumped full of tranquilisers until she gave up struggling, a shock collar was donned so any move could be countered with harsh pain, and all of this while the government, the government she was taught brought peace and saved lives, told her it was for the greater good. Officials, scientists and professionals came and went, looking at her like a failed experiment or a weapon or a lost cause, never as a person. The guards who passed were terrified of a 21 year old girl and were sure to remind her at every possible chance that they had that they could hurt her. Wanda quickly picked up that not moving at all allowed her more time free from the pain of the shock collar, and not speaking let her momentarily forget the spasms of electric agony her body felt due to making a noise they deemed too loud.

All the time in the cell was spent in misery that was only amplified by the deafening silence and her own thoughts. She just wanted her brother. She needed his comfort, his touch, his voice, his presence. Since he had died, a part of her was missing. Being back in a prison cell made her remember the HYDRA days, when she could move around and when she could be comforted by her twin. Now, it was just agony and desperation.

So Wanda Maximoff was in emotional and physical pain because the most powerful country in the world was afraid of a girl they didn't understand. Wanda had given up and just wanted to die.

Sam pulled Steve in for a hug and slapped his back. "It's good to see you" he grinned. The team stood around him, all stretching out and enjoying the space free from their cells.

"Where's Wanda?" Steve questioned, talking to no one directly. "We need to get out as soon as possible, we don't have that long." They all looked at him, expressions less jubilant.

"We haven't seen her Cap. She's in the cell with the tint." Steve turns to the window that is tucked away into a corner.

"Let's get her then"

As the cell door opened, Wanda flinched and pushed herself backwards into a corner, cowering away in fear of pain. The team's mouths dropped open at the horrible image they saw. The once spritely girl was sheet white, her hair hung in dirty, limp strands and her body was barely moving due to her constraints.

Clint rushed forward but halted as Wanda flinched again.

"Hey" Steve said delicately, finally finding his voice. "It's us. We're going to break you out, okay?" The Maximoff raised her head to look at them, recognition flashing in her eyes, and nodded very gently to show she'd heard Cap. Clint slowly moved forward to look at the collar and she cringed, expecting another shock. He and Cap exchanged a sad look. Her strait jacket was undone and thrown into a corner, letting her arms hang at her sides, weak and unused.

"I don't know how to undo the collar Steve." Clint rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"I have this." They turned and saw Scott in the door way holding a small controller. "One of the guards had it nearby."

"Does this open the collar?" Sam asked the girl. She nodded once more. Steve took the remote from his friend and gave it to Wanda.

"Which button? You will know better than us and we don't want to hurt you" Shaky hands grasped the device to have a closer look and pointed at the top left button. Cap pointed it at the collar and held his breath. Wanda whined in anxious anticipation and fear that the electric current would hurt her once more or, even worse, hurt her friends. The collar's light turned off and the catch sprang open as Steve pressed the button. All four men let out their breaths in relief and Clint reached over to take the collar from around her neck.

If anyone was conscious in the prison at that point, they would have seen the once glorified Captain America, lead three men and a sickly looking girl dressed in thin prison attire onto a jet. They would have seen how the young girl stumbled along refusing any contact except for an offered arm that she gripped onto to keep her standing. They would have seen the famous Hawkeye carrying four bundles of clothing and equipment that they refused to leave behind. They would have seen the jet take off at a high speed away from the prison that held horrific memories of containment and despair.

T'Challa watched the jet land. Steve exited first, jogging over to him.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked. Cap gave him a pained look.

"Wanda is in bad shape. We don't know what they did to her." The Wakandan King nodded lightly.

"Well you're all very welcome to stay here. You'll be safe." Steve thanked him.

The dense greenery stretched for miles into the horizon and early morning mist hung in the valley like wisps of smoke, clinging under the tree canopy. Tropical birds sung. Screeches, tweets and whistles rose in relaxing harmony from the jungle, the occasional flutter of bright feathers being visible on the tree tops.

Wanda took in a deep breath. Only she was awake in the villa T'Challa had provided for the team. It was beautiful, made with wooden décor and open space, wicker furniture and lavish beds. The villa sat on top of a cliff that overlook a valley filled with thick jungle with a waterfall that cascaded down beside it. All five teammates went to sleep as soon as they were shown their beds, barely a full conversation had between them. But Wanda had woken early, maybe due to a time difference, maybe due to nightmares, maybe due to being unused to a comfortable bed, but once awake she couldn't settle down. The balcony was a haven for her. No walls in sights, a breath taking view that carried on for miles in bold colour and never a silent moment with the wildlife and rainfall that fell for periods of time. Wanda couldn't imagine wanting a silent moment ever again after spending time in The Raft.

She hadn't spoken for a long time. Even a short time in the prison had damaged her. Fear of pain, at every movement, every sound, every breath that she took, it drove her insane. She had been given light clothing which hung loosely off her, her now clean hair was scooped up into a messy bun to keep it from sticking to her neck with humidity and her pale face had picked up a bit of colour now the tranquilisers were out of her system. She was physically much better, but mentally she was a mess.

Wanda ached to use her powers again. She wanted to feel the energy between her fingers and watch the red tendrils twirl around her. Not using them for so long felt like supressing a part of her soul, but that is what she was made to do. The fundamental piece of her became something associated with torture and agony and terror. How could she let out something that frightens her?

Wanda dropped her head and let her eyes shut, slender hands holding her temples, elbows leaning on the balcony rail.

"Wanda?" The Maximoff was startled and jumped backwards, almost knocking over a plant pot. "Sorry" Steve apologised giving the girl a sympathetic look. Wanda looked away embarrassed about her reaction. "I wondered if you'd like to join the team for breakfast. I'm going to explain what happened after the airport."

Cap told the whole story. Of what happened in Russia, how Tony found out about his parents, the fight with him, dropping the shield, Bucky losing his arm and T'Challa capturing Zemo alive. He explained sending a letter to Stark and how Bucky himself chose to be frozen again until he knew he could control his own mind. During Steve's story, the team ate a hearty breakfast, famished after a while of limited food. Except for Wanda. She picked at some bread with her long fingers, nibbling tiny chunks of it and taking small sips of water. No one mentioned anything but sent her concerned glances. She still hadn't spoken.

The team sat in sofas facing inwards, discussing if they wanted to stay there and what they would like to do.

"Well I think we should stay here as long as possible. No one will suspect we are staying with the man that originally wanted us dead." Sam said, draining the dregs of his coffee.

"We probably have quite a while. Plus we're in the middle of the Wakandan jungle with minimal contact. It'll take a bit to find us here." Clint added.

"So if we're staying, what does everyone want to do?" Steve asked. "I mean we could still go on smaller missions. We'd choose ones that wouldn't be spotted easily by the US as to keep low profiles but still do some good in the world."

"I like that idea." Sam said, looking around at his teammates who seemed to be in agreement. "But we need to help Wanda first." Everyone turned to look at the youngest member of the team. Her eyes were wide, returning the gazes.

Wanda still didn't speak.

"You haven't said a word since we returned and we're worried about you. You can't do anything in this state, we want to help you get better." Steve said in his gentlest tone.

"What did they do to you?" Clint queried. Wanda began to tremble a bit and bowed her head to hide her face. Clint approached the girl to comfort her and reached his hand out to place it on her shoulder. Not expecting the contact, the Maximoff flailed out with surprising strength. Her hands shoved his chest and he stumbled backwards, falling to the floor on his back. Clint groaned at the jolt. Scott rushed over to help him up but Sam and Steve just looked at Wanda. Her hand was held over her mouth in shock and her eyes were round and apologetic. Knees drawn up to her chest and her free arm wrapped around them, she rocked slightly, still shaking.

"Wanda…" Steve began, tone matching that of speaking to a wounded animal. He was about to tell her it wasn't her fault but was cut off as the girl fled from the room, stumbling over her own feet to try and avoid hurting any more of her friends.

She still hadn't spoken.

Steve decided to ask the new King of Wakanda to talk to the young Maximoff. T'Challa knocked on Wanda's room door, where she had retreated after the incident, and entered gracefully. The girl was leaning against the headboard, legs bent and chin resting on her knees. She flinched when he entered.

"I hope you're enjoying this villa Wanda." The question surprised her but she slowly nodded. "When I was a little boy I would come here to explore the jungle. I could spend hours at the bottom of the waterfall just swimming and listening to the birds." This cracked a miniature smile from Wanda. She already knew, from just one morning here, about how soothing the jungle sounds could be. "You are scared. I can see that. None of us know what happened to you in that prison but we all know it was terrible for you. It will take time for you to be back to your old self, but you will get better."

Wanda had stilled as he spoke, listening intently to his soft voice.

"We may have very little in common, but you are too young to have experienced your pain and no one should suffer alone. The Captain and his team are all welcome here for as long as you like, I can admit that I had got it wrong about Mr Barnes so think of this as repayment. Be patient Wanda, you will improve. No one here will harm you intentionally, remember you are safe." He was about to turn to go but paused. "Another thing, I recommend visiting the pool at the bottom of the cliff. It's very secluded and a perfect place to think"

T'Challa finished his little speech and left the room with panther-like elegance, not before a sympathetic smile was sent her way.

Wanda pondered on his comments. She needed to get over the fear. She needed to be back to her old self so she could help her friends.

'Start small' she thought, 'make a sound. Whisper your name.'

Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, she prepared herself for what felt like a giant leap.

"My name is Wanda." It was barely audible but Wanda still cringed at the sound.

"My name is Wanda Maximoff" She repeated the phrase just a bit louder, still expecting some sort of pain to follow.

"My name is Wanda Maximoff." It was a full whisper now, her mind loosening up a bit. Her throat was a little harsh from lack of use but it felt good to make a noise.

"My name is Wanda Maximoff. I am 21 years old. I am from Sokovia. I am safe." She whispered this to herself. She said it again. And again. She repeated it over and over and over, getting more and more relaxed about using her own voice without the shock of a collar around her neck. Wanda, for the first time since before the airport, began to smile, her lips stretching out to show a small victory over her own mind. She thought that maybe T'Challa should give motivational speeches more often, but then remembered that as a King, he does that already.

Her next step was to apologise to Clint. Just the thought of doing this, talking to another person out loud, it terrified her. 'No' she thought. 'Don't let them down. You have to get better'

Clint was with the rest of the team in the kitchen. They were talking amongst themselves but the chatter died out as Wanda entered. The girl was visibly shaking but no one said anything, they just waited to see what she would do.

The youngest team member shut her eyes in an attempt to calm down. "My name is Wanda Maximoff. I am 21 years old. I am from Sokovia. I am safe." She whispered to herself as she had practised a few minutes before. She opened her eyes to look at Clint. "I am sorry for hitting you." It was just above a whisper, only a little louder than how she had practised.

The room was silent. They hadn't heard her speak in what seemed like a long time and they were shocked at hearing her accented voice again. Wanda was still looking petrified and let out a shaky breath after speaking.

"It wasn't your fault" Clint replied, "I apologise for scaring you" He smiled at her and her mouth twitched upwards a bit. "When did you relearn to speak?"

Wanda was full on grinning now, eyes watering slightly at overcoming something. "Just now" Her voice was a little louder than before, she was gaining confidence in herself.

All four men let out low laughs and flashed her proud smiles, like dads who just witnessed their daughter play Twinkle Twinkle on the violin for the first time.

Over the next few days Wanda grew more and more confident with her speech. By the end of the week she was talking like she used to, just a bit less frequently. No one had touched the subject of the prison since the day she began talking again. But the men's curiosity never faltered and in fact grew with each day. Wanda would jump if someone surprised her and massively flinched at loud noises. She refused hugs, tensing up when anyone approached her, and stammering out an apology.

"They make me feel restrained" her murmured voice would explain before Clint noticed her discomfort and quickly changed the conversation topic.

In fact physical contact of any kind was avoided by Wanda at all costs but she slowly became more at ease, a shoulder brush occasionally, her feet sometimes pressed to Steve's legs when she curled up on the sofa. All the contact was initiated by her, everyone was careful not to trigger a bad memory inadvertently. Wanda was hugely embarrassed when she passed a plate to Sam in the kitchen and his hand touched hers a little, causing the girl to cower away and dropping the plate, smashing it on the floor and scattering pieces across the room. Steve spoke to Wanda in a low but friendly tone to ease her out of a frozen state, seemingly stuck in a sour memory. When back in reality, the Maximoff muttered apologies, despite them reassuring her it was an accident, and hurriedly went to gather up the broken bits of china but clumsily cutting her hand due to the full body tremors she was experiencing. Clint told her to go and clean her hand while they cleared the floor before she got seriously hurt and she rapidly exited the room, a blush staining her cheeks. Wanda didn't speak for the rest of that day.

Overall, Wanda was slowly recovering. She visited the jungle pool that T'Challa suggested to her quite often. The lagoon was turquoise and clear, surrounded by lush foliage and tall trees. Flowers blossomed by the edges and the sound of the waterfall pummelling the rocks was a constant thundering. She swam for ages, stretching unused muscles and enjoying the natural freedom of no enclosed walls and beautiful scenery. When Wanda tired she would lay on the rocks to dry and just breathe. Using the birds as her music and the jungle as her haven she would just listen to the sounds. Never too loud as to scare her but never too quiet as to leave her time for her mind to wander, it was perfect.

On one of the days, it rained. And she had never loved rain as much. The water was warm and therapeutic, like a shower that washed away her fears and memories. The huge, heavy raindrops pounded down, bouncing of the water and rocks, creating a relentless rhythm. But she just stood there, looking up at the thick clouds that rolled over each other in gorgeous dark swirls, and took in the bold colours, enhanced against the grey sky to create defined beauty in everything around her. She stood there, soaking it all in, feeling it cleanse her to the bone, and for the first time in weeks she let out a shout. She shouted for the movement of her vocal chords and for the energy release and for the feeling of freedom, away from the fear of pain at her the sound of her voice. Wanda didn't shout anything particular, mainly noises, but, if anyone were to be close enough to hear her over the ferocious rain, she ended up shouting the phrase that meant the most to her.

"I can be strong." the young girl cried. "My name is Wanda Maximoff. I am 21 years old. I am from Sokovia. I am strong."

Her voice drifted with the wind along with her self-reassurance, but it felt empowering.

"My name is Wanda Maximoff. I am 21 years old. I am from Sokovia. I. AM. STRONG!" She stopped to draw breath and saw a crack of lightning flash. Deciding to head back before the team began to worry, Wanda jogged through the jungle lighter than she had been for a long time.

And the four men who were waiting for her return grinned as they saw the care free girl they knew so well but hadn't seen in so long, running up to the villa laughing, looking her age for once and completely soaking wet.

That evening the rain was still pouring down onto the villa roof. Wanda, now warm, dry and in a comfy sweater, sat on one of the sofas sipping tea. Scott, Sam, Clint and Steve were chatting and joking away around her, all of them comfortably sitting on plush chairs or sofas.

"Common Sam," Clint teased, "You must have a style you like. Is it fish nets?" Wanda didn't even know how they got onto the topic of female fashion but here they were.

"Okay, okay. I really like the whole thing Maximoff's got going on" The girl in person looked at him quizzically. "You know… the red colours, the long socks, the jewellery. Lots of rings and necklaces, it's cool." The rest of the team chuckled.

"You haven't worn any necklaces recently Wanda," Steve noticed, "It's unusual for you."

Wanda smiled and looked at her tea cup. "They make me feel collared. I'm not used to it yet." Silence fell over the room.

"What did happen in The Raft?" Scott asked. The others shifted slightly, obviously dying to know. The young girl sighed and put her mug on a side table.

"The US government don't understand my powers enough to protect them. So they decided to stop me using them at all by scaring me. My arms were out of use and they pumped me full of drugs to keep me too drowsy to care. Any sound I made, any movement they deemed unnecessary, I would be shocked by the collar. The guards were terrified of me, I was just an object with the powers, never a person, so when they came in they would hit me away from them every time I came out from the corner. I just decided not moving or speaking the whole time would stop the pain.

"It was so quiet in there. I hated the quiet so much. I never want it to be that quiet again. And when you got me out, I was still petrified. That's why I didn't speak, in fear of more pain. Any contact I get, I expect a hit. I still haven't tried using my powers in case something bad happens. I don't want to be the monster they made me out to be." Wanda finishes, looking up at Clint whose jaw was slack and eyes held anger. The others had similar expressions.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." Steve's voice broke the silence. Wanda swallowed hard and smiled at him.

"It's not your fault. I just need time to get better, to get over it all." She replied.

"Can we do anything to help?" Sam asked.

"Just be patient. I know you want me to be how I was before, but bear with me."

"We can do that" Sam said confidently. The others nodded. "Take all the time you need."

The following day she decided it was time. The scarlet energy that burned inside her, clawing her lungs, squashing her heart, it needed to be released. Wanda hadn't used her powers in a while, too long for comfort, but she was still terrified. She woke early and made her way down to the forest pool, leaving a note so the others didn't worry.

Gentle ripples danced outwards with every stroke Wanda made while swimming, the cool water lapping at the edges of the lagoon. She'd been there for at least an hour, procrastinating and making excuses to not try her powers. As the young girl swam back to the other side of the pool she set her jaw in determination, she didn't want to wait anymore. Her mind would probably give millions of reasons to not try but she refused to let her own brain stop her now. Peitro always said that he loved her stubbornness. Wanda quickly clambered out of the water, she didn't want to leave herself time to change her mind again. With a deep breath, a red flame was produced in the Maximoff's hand. She swiftly snuffed it out by making a fist.

"Come on" she breathed, "Be strong. There won't be any pain."

Conjuring every brave molecule in her, Wanda tried again. This time a small ball of energy weaved in and out of her fingers and dancing around her knuckles. A choked but happy sob spilled from her throat. She could do this. Nothing was stopping her any more.

She reproduced a flame on her palm making it grow in front of her. Wanda's heart fluttered at each movement the energy made.

She sat down at the side of the clear lagoon with a small pile of stones before her. She moved the red tendrils to carefully wrap around each rock and move it into the water, watching it sink to the bottom. As time passed her confidence grew. She could use her powers with less hesitation, less fear, and, although she didn't push her powers, keeping her practise as simple as moving stones, she felt the mental pain alleviate and her constant inner turmoil unwind. And like the day before, Wanda felt light again, like she used to feel.

She watched the slow descent of the sun in the sky and let a small orb of maroon energy flit across the pool water like a firefly, occasionally bouncing it off the surface to make ripples appear. The young Maximoff had been there all day, so after the final remnants of orange sun had sunk below her vision, she made her way back to the villa.

Every day she visited the lagoon to practise. She gently increased the difficulty of her tasks as to not go out of her depth too fast, and although it felt like she was relearning how to use her powers all over again, it felt necessary. After a week and a half she was almost back to where she was before all of this happened, before all the pain and fighting and angst. When it was the avengers against the bad and there was just black and white, no shades in between. Or maybe there were grey areas but they were too caught up in doing what they thought was good to realise the extent of their actions. That didn't matter anymore to her, the people they should have thought about when they fought the 'bad guys' are already affected, and even though she felt tremendous guilt about not protecting them, Wanda had finally built up her confidence to know she can only move forward to stop it reoccurring.

She felt more and more comfortable around the rest of the team and began to be like herself again. Clint joined her down to the lagoon on a fresh afternoon and he sat on a boulder smiling like a proud father at Wanda shyly showing her powers to him.

"Wanda?" She looked up at him from where she'd been concentrating on the energy tendrils. "How do you feel?"

The question took her off guard ad she let the red haze fade from her hands. "Better" she smiled at him carefully, "I'm not upset anymore."

"You aren't?" Clint's eyebrows rose upwards. The whole ordeal could have permanently scarred Wanda and left her fearful, but she didn't seem traumatised.

"I have issues. Nightmares, flashbacks, moments of weakness, but I am not upset anymore" Her thick accented voice was slow and thoughtful and something flickered in the Maximoff's eyes that Clint hadn't seen in a while. "I am angry"

His lips twitched. "I am angry at what they did to me. I am angry for turning us against each other. I am angry for making us choose between peace and freedom."

Wanda didn't know who she was angry at but the sadness and fear she had from her prison time had been burnt up by the hot fury she'd unknowingly supressed. When she had begun to reuse her powers it was like the final straw. With every flame she sparked, every tendril she moved and every drop of energy she poured out, glimmers of her rage slipped out too. The last two weeks had been a purge of the heaviness holding her, like cleaning her mind of the pain and terror that had been stored.

Wanda wasn't crazed. She could have easily slipped into a rage filled madness, flipped a switch set on vengeance, but the rain forest, the water, the rain, the team, it all gave her much needed calm. The Sokovian hadn't lost her way, she was angry but level headed. She knew she couldn't go on a rampage to hurt anyone who ever crossed her. Wanda wanted to preserve her morals and restore her family.

The rift between two parts of the Avengers had to be healed somehow and she was going to fight for it.

She knew she couldn't be afraid anymore. She was more in control of her powers, she could use her voice freely, and she would put on those badass clothes and necklaces she wanted to wear.

Wanda Maximoff was done being scared. Now she was angry.


End file.
